MTV Entertainment Group Organizes ‘Mental Health Action Day’ on May 20
As part of the initiative to increase awareness of mental health concerns, MTV Entertainment Group is leading the charge to establish the first-ever national “Mental Health Action Day” on May 20 during Mental Health Awareness Month.
MTV Entertainment Group said more than 150 brands, nonprofits and cultural leaders, including NBCUniversal, Univision, Vice Media, the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Ben & Jerry’s, Kate Spade, Kenneth Cole and GLAAD, have signed on for what is planned as a large-scale moment of action on mental health.
MTVE will provide resources and tools to encourage people to take steps toward seeking help or to assist others dealing with mental health problems. The ViacomCBS unit has been active in mental health advocacy amid reports of rising suicide rates and other concerns for teenagers and young adults, particularly after a year of pandemic lockdown.
“To address the ‘second wave’ of mental health devastation due to COVID-19 we need to move from awareness to action,” Erika Soto Lamb, vice president of social impact strategy at MTVE, said. “MTV is proud to convene so many other leaders in driving forward a culture of mental health action, to inspire people to take actions and to normalize the idea that mental health is health.”
Earlier this month, MTVE announced the launch of a new multi-year initiative, “Mental Health is Health,” to tackle the nation’s growing mental health crisis. In an effort to use the power of storytelling to de-stigmatize mental health and drive behavioral and cultural change, MTVE committed to doubling the number of mental health storylines across its portfolio of over 100 television shows, while working with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative to ensure that all portrayals are authentic and nuanced.
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